Dublin will face Tyrone while Donegal are re-acquainted with provincial rivals Monaghan as the draw was made for the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals this morning.
The draw, made on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, also saw last year’s All-Ireland finalists Galway drawn to play Leinster runners-up Meath.
Prior to the draw, it was confirmed that Armagh would meet Kerry at the quarter-final stage, given that the All-Ireland champions could not meet any of the other three preliminary quarter-final winners, having played Galway and Dublin at the group stage and Donegal in the Ulster final.
Of the remaning three, Tyrone were unable to meet Donegal, who they played in Group 1. The 2021 All-Ireland champions were drawn to face Dessie Farrell’s side, their first championship clash since the 2019 Super 8s.
Leinster finalists, Meath, who stunned Kerry in the final round of the group stage, will play Galway, who overcame Down in a thriller in Páirc Esler.
That left Monaghan and Donegal as the two teams remaining, the pair having already tangled in the Ulster quarter-final, where Jim McGuinness’ side triumphed by just two points.
The games will be played this weekend, 28-29 June, with the CCCC to confirm fixture details later today. Two games will be played on Saturday and Sunday, all taking place at Croke Park.
Speaking after the draw, former Kerry player and manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice said the eye-catching tie with All-Ireland champions Armagh is just what the Kingdom need after some underwhelming displays to date, despite the busy schedule.
“I think they needed the games,” he said. “Particularly how they played against Meath the previous weekend, they were better off having a game and flushing it out of their system.
“Maybe they wouldn’t have expected to come through the preliminary quarter-finals and they have a few injuries, but there are no excuses from here on in.
“Armagh are the team to beat at the moment, but that opposition is right for Kerry. Certainly the way they played the league game kind of inspired them to go to new levels in the middle of March (Kerry won by 10 points), so I’d be hoping from a Kerry perspective it will be something similar next weekend.”
On the flip side, Fitzmaurice believes that the taxing run of games for Galway and Donegal – both sides will be in action for a third week on the trot with Jim McGuinness’ side set for a ninth championship outing in 13 weeks – will offer surprise packages Meath and Monaghan serious hope of reaching the last four.
“Galway are the perfect example of a team coming in really battle-hardened, versus a fresh Meath team,” Fitzmaurice said.
“Meath are not going to be afraid of them with the way that they have been playing, similar to Monaghan. They played Donegal in the Ulster Championship and there was only two points in it at the end.
“I remember Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan after that game was very disappointed how his team played in the first half, as they were down six points at the break. Again you have a team coming with energy against a team slightly fatigued so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a shock somewhere between those two games in particular.”
The final match-up sees Dublin and Tyrone set to cross paths, with the Red Hand’s seven-point victory in March recent evidence that Malachy O’Rourke’s side have what it takes to prevail.
Fitzmaurice however believes that a fit Con O’Callaghan, who sat out the preliminary quarter-final win over Cork, could be the telling difference.
“In the last league game, Tyrone beat Dublin above in Healy Park and played very well,” he said.
“It’s a fresh Tyrone team coming in, they have forwards capable of doing a lot of damage in Croke Park, but Dessie Farrell took the risk of keeping key player Con O’Callaghan back last weekend and it will probably pay off for them now.
“With him, they are a different team. There is something ominous about the Dubs at the moment. They are grinding it out, showing a different side to themselves and getting the job done.”
All-Ireland SFC quarter-final draw
Armagh v Kerry
Tyrone v Dublin
Meath v Galway
Monaghan v Donegal
